Reunion
by Sandman Cometh
Summary: Complete Sequel to Legend of Zelda: Tale of the Titans. Brett and Raven's friendship has grown since their last adventure. But when a secret from Brett's past reappears, how will Raven react? Espically when the reborn Slade enters the picture?
1. Sara

Reunion

Chap. 1

Sara

"Hey, what are you doing with that?" "I was thinking about buying it?" For a moment, Martin was totally stunned. Then he shook his head and said, "I never would have pegged you for a Smashing Pumpkins fan, Rae." "And why's that?" the empath asked, still holding the CD. "I guess I figured your kind of music was monks, chanting out old Latin hymns." This time Raven shook her head. "Do I look like I'm highly religious and completely against heavy music?" "Well, you did have a problem with my Metallica stuff." said Brett, appearing from the next row. "That's because you were playing it at three in the morning right below my room." She said, with a smirk. "Oh right." The bat said. "So would two be okay for next time? Or maybe if I played the Clash instead?" Walking over, he asked, "Or wait, what if I buy some Yanni? That shouldn't bother you." "If I hear that, I guarantee that I'll blow you out the Tower." She answered.

Smiling, Raven brushed him away with her hand and continued to look through the cds, putting _Siamese Dream _with her other picks. Truthfully, she did enjoy this kind of banter with Brett. Ever since they had returned from their adventure in Hyrule, the two of them had been developing a closer friendship. She knew it was partly her doing after what had happened between them in the Shadow Temple. Brett had commented earlier that he considered the Titans and BRATS his family. Raven had objected to that, feeling that she was not worthy of it, and also fearful of what that kind of love meant. She had told Brett as much, and while he outwardly accepted it, he seemed to trying to prove himself to her. Brett had gone to her poetry readings with her, despite seeming to be bored for much of the time. He had also given here advice on some meditation techniques he had picked up, and even gone as far as trying to mediate with her.

At first Raven had been a bit annoyed, but after some time, she began to realize that he was only doing this because he cared about her. She had decided that even if they couldn't be family, they could at least be good friends. So she had returned his attention, learning about the things he liked. She had watched him during his battle-training, an exercise where he was blindfolded and surrounded by holograms of enemies. It was an amazing thing to watch, because he had almost never been injured and he did not use anything but his wits and his sword. Brett also told her stories about the adventures he'd gone on as a Knight, and all the things he had seen and learned about. They also learned that they had similar tastes in music, though Brett was a bit more classic rock then Raven. Still they were both huge fans of R.E.M, U2, and Evanescence, although Brett felt the last were a bit too bombastic. Regardless, that was what had brought them to Jump City's major record store, Station of Sound today, or more specifically the release of U2's _How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb._ After hearing 'Vertigo' just once, they had both instantly been hooked. They'd come down to the store right after breakfast, with Martin tagging along for some of his music. Sadly, from what Raven had seen, that partially consisted of _The Best of ABBA. I wonder what else he has. _Raven thought_. Probably Saturday Night Fever; I'll bet he does the strut every time he hears "Stayin Alive." _Imagining Martin strutting down the street to that music was a hilarious image. Raven smiled as she thought about it, and moved to check out some other music. However, thinking about it had made her oblivious to the woman in front of her with her own pile of cds. The two knocked into each, and both their collections fell to the ground in a heap.

"Sorry! My fault!" Raven hastily apologized. "It's ok. Neither of us was paying attention." The woman replied, as they bent down to pick up their respective cds. Of course, they were all jumbled together, so it took a few minutes to sort through it. However, by doing so, Raven found out the woman was a fan of the Stones, the Sex Pistols, and the Distillers. "Wow, you've got some good taste." She remarked, as she put all the cds that weren't hers into a pile. "You too." The woman replied, as she finished doing the same. "Especially _Automatic for the People_. I still say it's the best thing that R.E.M. ever did." "I know." Raven agreed. "'Nightswimming''s incredible." "If you're not moved by that song, you have no soul. That's all there is to it." The woman agreed. Raven continued with, "The Distillers are just as good though. Now there's an anti- Britney." "Oh I know. The best thing about them is that it's a real rock woman and it's real punk. There's almost nothing there left anymore, except Green Day." "Yeah, ever since Good Charlotte….uhhhh. I hope to God that they don't try to copy _American Idiot_ next."

As they got up, they handed each other the cds back. "Good talking to you. My name's Sara." The woman asked, sticking out her hand. "Raven." The empath replied, as she shook it. Now that they weren't busy, Raven finally got a good look at this woman. Sara looked to be about twenty or so years old. She had a pronouncedly soft face with dark blue eyes and a pointed nose, framed by short but fiery red hair. She wasn't much taller then Raven, but she looked more muscular. She wore a flowery violet tank-top and a pair of loose beige khakis, as well as a Colorado Avalanche cap. "New in town?" she asked. "Sort of passing through." Sara replied. "Um, not to be rude, but does everyone here dress like its Halloween?" she asked. "Huh?" Raven asked. "Well, your clothes are a bit different, is all." "Oh. Yeah I guess so." Raven said thoughtfully, realizing that Sara did not know who she was. "Comes with the job description." "What job is that, dare I ask?"

Raven would have answered, but suddenly a minivan flew through the store's front window. As it slammed and rolled through the store, there was a crunch and a high-pitched scream. At first, Raven thought that a little girl had been hurt, but then somebody said, "Jesus Frank, it didn't even hit you!" Looking over, Raven saw that the only thing crushed had been a display case. Standing next to it was a long-haired, bearded man hyperventilating into a paper bag that the owner had given him. Sighing in relief, she turned to Sara and said, "Actually, this is my job." Turning around, she saw Nighstalker and Neuron appear from the back. "I think we should find out what that was." Neuron said dryly. "You think?" Nightstalker replied, equally dry in his tone. Pulling up her hood, Raven motioned goodbye to Sara and the three heroes leapt out the broken window.

Sara stood alone for a moment, and then she shook her head. "Brett," she said softly. "Why can't I ever just find you when there's not something going horribly wrong?" With that, she turned and followed the others out the window.


	2. Lightweaver

Chap. 2

Lightweaver

Raven and the two BRATS rushed outside, trying to see whatever it was that had caused the destruction. They didn't have to search long. Cinderblock stood outside the store, another pair of cars in his hands. Without warning he threw them at the heroes. Raven managed to halt one and bring it to the ground safely, while Brett used his sword to slice through the other. "Can't we ever get a day off?" he muttered. "Keep dreaming." Neuron answered as he ran off and began to circle the huge cement warrior. Cinderblock tried to swat the young hero but he was simply too slow. However, this gave Raven and Nighstalker an excellent shot at him, which they took full advantage of. The cement villain was thrown back by the blast of dark energy. He crashed into another storefront, with a huge impact. "Well, that was easier then I thought." Neuron commented as he rejoined the others. "Please don't say that." Raven replied. "Why?" Neuron asked just as Cinderblock dug himself out from the rubble. "Any other questions?" Nightstalker asked, as they charged the villain. But Cinderblock reared back and slammed his fists down on the pavement. The road practically exploded, as the impact shot towards the heroes in a wave of rubble. Before they could move out of the way, it buried them. Raven managed to surround herself with a partial shield, so she managed to avoid some of the rubble. But Nighstalker and Neuron were completely buried. Raven tired to move towards them, but then Cinderblocks' shadow fell over her. Grunting in victory , he prepared to bury his fists in her body.

Suddenly, Cinderblock reared back, as a pair of arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Bucking like a bronco, he attempted to shake the figure off. Raven attempted to get a better look at her rescuer, as she dug herself out of the rubble. But when she finally did, she was filled with amazement and fear. "Sara!" she cried out.

"Hi, Rae." The woman answered calmly, as Cinderblock continued to whip her around. "What the hell are you doing!" Raven yelled. "Can I get back to you on that?" was the reply. Suddenly Cinderblock reared back and then snapped forward, throwing Sara off. But the woman seemed to ride it, flipping off Cinderblock as she flew, then twisting in the air and managing to land on her feet. Raising up, she motioned for Cinderblock to come closer. The villain roared and began to charge her. Raven gasped and flew off, managing to outmaneuver Cinderblock and reach Sara first. Landing in front of her, the empath began to chant. But before she could finish, Sara sidestepped her and raised her hand out to Cinderblock. Suddenly a burst of golden energy shot forth from her hand and blasted the villain back. Raven stared in amazement at her friend's power. Sara just gave a brief smile, and a nod. From a distance, Cinderblock rose up, and began to attack again. Again, Sara called forth the golden energy, but this time, it spread around her entire body. It grew so bright the Raven had to shield her eyes. But when it finally faded, Sara was gone.

Or at least the woman was. In her place was a being covered in red fur, save for white areas on its forearms and face. There, the fur bristled off, into a muzzle. The red hair was still in place, but now a pair of ears pointed through it. The final touch was the tail. Raven realized she was staring, literally, at a fox. The fox-girl gave her another smile, then held up her right wrist, which was covered by a gauntlet like device. Sara made a clenching motion and suddenly a long blade popped out of the gauntlet's upper casing. Sara held it to her face for a moment, then charged Cinderblock. Raven watched with such curiosity, that she almost didn't hear Nightstalker and Neuron digging themselves out of the rubble. "I don't suppose you got the number of that bus." Neuron muttered. "Um, Rae? If you're here, who's fighting Cinderblock?" 'Stalker asked. "Uh, Sara right now." Raven answered. However, her answer had a much bigger effect on 'Stalker then she expected. "Sara!" the bat practically screamed. Whipping around, he saw the battle being fought. Raising up his sword, he yelled out something that neither Raven or Neuron had ever expected to hear from him; "GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY WIFE, JACKASS!"


	3. To The Tower

Chap. 3

To The Tower

"YOUR WHAT!" Raven and Neuron yelled back in surprise. But Nightstalker paid them no heed. Sword in hand, he ran to the battle. Just as Sara dodged a blow that shook the pavement, the bat let loose a burst of shadowfire that blasted Cinderblock back into a nearby building. "Must you always do that?" the fox asked, as she turned to face him. "I've missed you too dear." The bat replied. "I know, but I could have gotten him." Sara argued. At that moment, Cinderblock rose up and hurled another car at them. Luckily, the two of them heard it in advance and flipped out of the way. Landing on their feet, 'Stalker said, "Maybe we should wait until later to settle this?" "Good idea." Sara agreed, as a golden light began to cover her. It began to harden and soon she was covered in a suit of golden armor, her helmet in the shape of an angelic warrior's face. Holding her wristblade high, she motioned for 'Stalker to charge, which he d almost immediately.

"What the hell are we seeing?" asked Neuron, as he watched the two Knights fight on. "I think it's one of the other Knights." Raven answered. "I'd heard that the position of Light Knight had gone to someone else. But I didn't know anything about this." "You mean the wife thing?" "No, I mean the fact she's a fox.. Yes the wife thing. Did you have any idea?" "I never even knew Brett had a wife."

Meanwhile, Nightstalker and the Knight called Lightweaver continued to attack Cinderblock. The monster had a tremendous amount of strength, but the tow of them seemed to have only one mind between them. Every move one of them did was complemented by the other. When 'Stalker kicked Cinderblock's legs out from under him, 'Weaver slammed onto his fallen body. However, Cinderblock was not so easily defeated. He got back up and threw a chunk of rubble at the Knights. They dodged it easily, and then 'Stalker rammed into Cinderblock, driving him into a nearby building. However, he did not go through all the way, leaving Cinderblock trapped in the framework of the stone building. Seeing that the monster was trapped, the bat fell to his hands and knees in front of the monster, just as his wife began to run towards them. Using the Shadow Knight as a springboard, she leapt off and delivered a huge dropkick straight to the villains face. Flipping off again, the Light Knight landed right by 'Stalker, just as he finished standing up. They looked at Cinderblock for a moment, then without warning, his body fell out of its prison and onto the ground with a huge thud.

"That went well." The bat commented, as he pulled off his helmet. "I'd say so." Agreed the fox, as she pulled of hers. "Don't we usually do something when a plan comes together like this?" "I think so, but I'm not sure if I'm rusty or not." Brett replied, smiling. "Let's find out." With that, he took his wife in his arms, pulled her to the side, and they shared a passionate kiss. After a moment, they pulled away, only when they realized that Raven and Neuron were staring at them. "I think you still have it." Sara said jokingly, as they turned to face the young heroes. "Uh Brett, is there something you'd like to tell us?" Neuron asked. "I guess so. Guys, this is my wife, Sara Dalle. Sara, these are Raven and Neuron, my new teammates." "What do you mean new teammates?" Sara asked, turning to face Brett was confusion on her face. "Well, I'm kinda joined up with 'em right now." "You didn't tell me anything about that." "Well, he's kept things from us too, apparently." Raven added. Brett looked extremely sheepish at that moment, knowing that he was in trouble on both ends. He quickly tried to explain, to the point where he was talking to both of them at once. "Well look Rae, you guys never asked me anyway…. Wait that sucks…. Uh,… Sara look I tried to tell you, but I couldn't find you. I mean, I know you left a few addresses and stuff, but you never responded to what I did send… no that's worse… Look guys, I just didn't think it mattered that I had a wife…. Oh God I'm bad at this…"

Thankfully, Neuron stepped in and managed to save his friend. "Look ladies, I'm sure that Brett has a perfectly good reason for this. Rae, maybe he had a reason he couldn't talk to us about his wife, that we can see separated from him along with the other Knights, and whom he obviously loves very much. And Sara, I'm sure he did try to contact you, but if you were on the road so much, it's certainly possible that you didn't get any sort of word from him." The speedster's logic finally managed to make a point, as both girls nodded in agreement, which caused a sigh of relief from Brett. "Look, why don't we just go back to the Tower, and we can work it out there?" Neuron asked. "Sounds like a good idea." Raven agreed. "Sure." Sara nodded. "But what about the walking cement pile over there?"

"I wouldn't worry. If you hit him hard enough to knock him out, I don't think he'll be getting up for a while." Raven said. "Well then, let's head out." Sara said. "Which way to this Tower?"


	4. Honey I'm Home

Chap. 4

"Honey, I'm Home"

"You wanna pass me, don't ya?" Cyborg said gleefully, as his car raced against Nelson's on the video screen. "You can't pass me, no one can pass… HEY!" "Maybe you should spend more time playing the game instead." Bart suggested, as Nelson's car suddenly raced across the finish line. "Ha Ha!" Nelson yelled out, as he jumped up and down in victory. "Errrrr, rematch!" Cy yelled, as he restarted the game.

"Cyborg truly wishes to achieve victory, does he not?" Starfire asked Milhouse, as the two of them watched from the kitchen. "He'd better do it soon, before his circuitry explodes." He commented, as Cy hunched over the screen, grasping the controller almost hard enough to break it in half. Looking up at the clock, Milhouse said, "When the heck are Brett and the others getting back? He's supposed to show me how to laminate my baseball cards." "Yes, and Raven and I were to try to contact the living dead again." Starfire added. "Yeah I,.." Milhouse began, then turned and stared at the young alien with a look of perplexing worry.

Suddenly, the doors opened and a voice rang out, "We're back!" As the three heroes walked in, Milhouse turned and said, "What took you guys? You've been gone almost three hours." "Well I'm sorry, we kinda ran into trouble." Martin snapped. "What kind of trouble?" "Trouble named Cinderblock." Raven answered. "Oh." Milhouse answered, realizing he had absolutely no case. "We also had another interesting thing happen." Brett said. Just then, another figure walked into the room. "Nice place you've got here." Sara said, as she walked into plain view. "Who's this?" Cyborg asked. Placing his arm around her shoulders, Brett said, "Guys, meet the missus."

After the understandable confusion that results from such a statement, Brett called everybody in the Tower into the main room, so he could explain how he and Sara had come to be. He explained that he had met Sara as a human when he had first begun to live on Earth. He had been walking home from work one night when he had seen her being mugged. Brett had managed to pull the mugger off, but Sara had finished him off with a direct kick to the 'nads. Brett had been impressed, and also extremely smitten with her. Somehow, he'd managed to get a date with her for Friday night. From that, they had built a relationship, but Brett had always been fearful of revealing his secret to her. Finally, after considerable support from his fellow Knights, Brett had finally been able to do it. Obviously it had been a considerable shock, but to her credit, Sara had been able to look past it and remember the person she'd fallen in love with. Soon after, they'd gotten married.

But then the fates decided to be cruel. Not soon after the wedding, a breed of demons began to surface. They were called chaos-demons, whose only wish was to return the world to its pre-creation state. They had targeted Brett and the Light Knight, because as the representatives of the primal creation forces, the two of them were their biggest threat. Since Brett couldn't die however, the demons decided to break him. They'd kidnapped Sara and once the Knights had come to rescue her, had mortally wounded her. She'd died in Brett's arms. The bat faltered at this point, but after a moment, continued. After that, he had thrown down his sword and renounced his Knighthood. It took six months of being on the road alone, and the threat of the demons to bring him back into the fold.

Yet afterwards, he had been moody and unhappy with his life. Then one day, the first Light Knight, who had become a more powerful being, the Gatekeeper of the Tower, had decided it was time to name a successor. The Knights had traveled into the heart of Latin America to try to find an animal body for the new Knight. But all but two were captured by a last Chaos-demon, who wanted them dead. Luckily, those two managed to create the new Knight from a fox prior. However, that Knight had been disoriented, having a muddled recollection of life as a human. AT first, it hadn't seemed to mean anything, because every Knight had been human at one point, though they did not remember it. They had assumed that their had been some sort of problem with the transference. But after they had raided the demon's fortress, they had realized that the Knight was in fact Sara, who had only died to be re-born as the Light Knight.

"Wow." Robin said, as Brett finished his story. "Man, I can't believe you didn't tell us this before." Ralph added. "I would have, but we agreed that when we split up, we wouldn't talk about each other. We figured that we might accidentally let out something important. Besides, talking about Sara when she's not here makes me depressed." "Damn right." Sara said jokingly, poking Brett in the side. "So what brings you to Jump City anyway?" Raven asked. "Well I was really just traveling around California, and I'd heard that this was a cool town. Besides, I'd heard about the Titans and BRATS and wanted to see if this Nightstalker was the same one I knew." "Hey wait a minute," Brett said. "You did know I had a new team!" "Yeah, but it was fun to screw with you." She answered. Brett just shook his head.

"Well, does this mean you'll be staying a couple days?" Beast Boy asked. "I could give you a great tour of the city." "You know, that actually sounds nice. I swear I think I'm getting to be like Brett." Sara said. "I actually miss being on a team." "Hmm… well if you want to, you join us with us." Bart offered. "We've already got one Knight." Sara laughed and said, "I'll think about it. But if you've got a spare room, that's be great right now." "I think I can get you one." Brett said, a gleam in his eyes. "Well then, I guess I'll stay if you don't mind." Sara answered. "Of course not!" Starfire answered happily. "This is wonderful! I must make Glork to celebrate!"

The young girl flew off towards the kitchen, just as Sara asked, "What's Glork?" Leaning over, Brett whispered in her ear. Sara's face contorted with disgust and she yelled out, "Starfire!" "Hmm?" Star said, turning around. "Uh, Glork sounds great, but I don't suppose that you'd let on of the boys cook tonight? After all, I don't want to be a burden, but I certainly think that these superheroes can make some food on their own don't you?"

"I believe you have a point." Star agreed, as she put her cooking tools down. There was a not too audible sigh of relief as Cyborg stepped into the kitchen. "All right y'all." He said. "Time to celebrate the best way I know how…. WAFFLES!"

Cyborg indeed knew how to celebrate with waffles. He created a huge buffet with waffles of every kind. The group ate happily, finally finishing at about eight-thirty. "See that's a celebration meal." Bart said, as he lay out on the couch. "Man, I don't think I can move for another hour." Brett said. At this, Sara leaned over and said, "I know where you get an even better kind of waffle, you know." At that, Brett leapt to his feet, pulled his wife up, and said, "We're going to my room to share waffle. Please leave us alone for an hour." Most of the others just nodded, having some understanding of what the bat meant. Beast Boy however, was not among those few. "Hey man, why go to your room? If this waffle is so good you're hiding it, I want some too." "NOO! You will not have this waffle! No one else will have this waffle! This is a waffle only Sara has knowledge of, and I have waited a long time for it!" "Jeez ok, don't bite my head off." Beast Boy shrugged as he walked off. But then Starfire entered the conversation. "Actually, I have a waffle recipe I was not able to make. If you wait a minute, I will make it and I shall share my waffle with you and Sara."

Brett began to make the speech again, but then he stopped and thoughtfully rubbed his chin, as if he was considering it. Sara of course, hit him in the gut, and while he reeled, she said, "Trust me Star, this is something only Brett and I should do." "Oh, all right then." Star said, as she stepped back. The Knights nodded, and with that left the room. "I wonder what that was about." Beast Boy wondered. "Yes, that seemed a bit much for a simple waffle." Starfire agreed. At that, Bart and Raven looked at each other, and walking up to both of their friends, whispered in their ears. Both Starfire's and Beast Boy's eyes widened, and they yelled out, "AWW DAMN!"

Much later, after Brett and Sara had shared waffle, they lay in bed together, which Brett didn't actually sleep in, but had saved for just this occasion; he asked, "So what do you think?" "Yes, you're still the Big Daddy." Sara answered. "Damn right. But I was asking about the others." "They seem ok. You've made a good group here. But Beast Boy… he's not all there is he?" "No more then Starfire, but they're both good kids. What about Raven? What do you think about her?"

At that, Sara seemed to diminish a bit. "She seems cool, but Brett…. The powers, the attitude, the smell…. Is she _that_ Raven?" Brett paused for a moment, then nodded. Sara sighed then, as she moved under the covers. "Are sure it's a good idea to have her around then?" "Sara, she's a good kid. We don't need to worry about that for a while." "Oh yeah? Then how come they talk about the Return in all the circles? Brett I know he sent a messenger, and she's the right age for it. You should be concerned." "I am. But I can't worry about it all the time. Besides, she has more control over this then you think." "And how many times have we heard that before? You need to do something about this." "Look Sara, let's not condemn her already. I think we both know that appearances aren't always what they seem. Give her a chance."

As the two Knights talked, neither of them suspected the cloaked figure standing outside the door. Raven couldn't really hear what was being said, but she didn't need to. She could sense the emotion that was being put forth, and nothing made her feel good. Finally, she walked away from the door, but as she did, the lights exploded over her head.


	5. The Morning After

Chap. 5

The Morning After

Raven didn't sleep too well that night. Sara's comments played in her mind for hours, never stopping. She could feel anger growing in her, but of course Raven couldn't let it out. She tried to calm herself. After all, Brett had thought the same thing about her when they had first met and he got over it. But that logic wasn't enough. Raven was sick of having to defend herself all the time. Ever since her birthday, she'd had to worry every time she looked in the mirror about who she was. Sometimes, she felt like she was just denying the inevitable, that she was just a monster waiting to emerge.

Thankfully, Brett had been there to try to keep her going. He kept saying that maybe Raven was a demon, but that wasn't all she was. After some time, Raven had really started to believe it. She didn't need some stranger trying to decide her fate from day one right now. Of course, this was a stranger that meant a lot to Brett, so maybe she should cut Sara some slack. Sighing, the empathy attempted to bury her thoughts, and laid back down on the pillow. After some time, she finally managed to fall asleep.

The sun shone brightly the next morning. Golden beams shone through the glass walls of the Tower, as the Titans and B.R.A.T.S began breakfast. "Hey, who took the Count Cocula?" Milhouse asked as he looked inside the empty pantry. "I haff nue idea." Robin got out through a mouthful of the missing cereal. "That stuff'll rot your insides anyhow." Bart commented as he took another spoonful from his own bowl. "This from somebody who eats a cereal called "Sugary Sugar Flakes"?" Nelson asked. "Hey, they've got two daily vitamins. Besides, it's sweet, and refreshingly addictive." "Just the qualities that you should have in a breakfast cereal." Martin said, as he ate his own breakfast of eggs and milk.

Just then, the doors opened and Brett and Sara walked into the room. "Sleep well?" Bart asked with a smirk as he turned to face them. "You'll never know." Brett replied with an equally devious smirk as he sat down and helped himself to some breakfast. Sara however, was a bit more difficult, as she didn't have much taste for eggs or sweet cereals. She finally managed to settle on a box of corn flakes that the Titans had bought by accident and some raisin bread. Sitting down next to her husband, she began to eat, playfully nudging Brett as he ate. Of course, he played along as well, and until Raven came down, it was a rather cute thing to watch from the usually stoic Nightstalker.

The empath came down a few minutes later, having just finished her early meditation. "Morning." She said, as she walked down to the coffee pot and poured herself some herbal tea. Sitting down, she commenced with her breakfast ritual of quietly drinking tea and reading the paper. "You gonna eat anything Raven?" Sara asked. "I'm not that hungry." Raven replied, not looking up from her paper. "Really? You sure?" At this point, Beast Boy said, "Trust me Sara, if Raven doesn't want any breakfast, don't press it." "Yeah, we still haven't cleaned all the tofu egg off the ceiling from the last time." Cyborg commented, looking up at the yellow stains on the ceiling. "I see." Sara said. "I'll get something to eat later after the signing." Raven said. "Signing?" Sara asked, as Brett seemed to start a bit. "Margret Weis is going to be at a bookstore today. She co-wrote _Dragonlance_ and Brett and I were going to get autographs." "Ahh." The fox answered.

Brett however, slapped his forehead and said, "Aw no, that's today!" "Yes. It's been on the calendar for weeks." Raven answered. "I'm sorry Rae. I promised Sara that I'd meet her and B.B. for lunch when he gave her a tour of the city today. It's the same time as the signing, I completely forgot" "It's ok Brett. You go with her, you didn't know I was going to be here." Sara answered, trying to settle it. "Yeah, but I don't want to disappoint you after just one day." Brett said. "I'm sorry Rae, but I'm gonna have to take a rain check." Raven was quiet for a moment, then she slowly nodded. "I'll get another signature for you." She said. "Thanks Rae. I really appreciate this." Brett said. "Great." Raven muttered. Pushing her chair back, she got up and walked out of the room. As she left, Brett looked at the others and asked, "How'd that go?"

Raven walked down the hallway to her room, trying to keep her feelings under control. She couldn't believe that he had forgotten the signing. They'd been talking about it for weeks. _And then, she tries to just act like she didn't do anything to ruin it? God, why don't I just…. No Raven. Calm down, it's not her fault. Just take your mind off it._

As she entered her sanctuary and shut the door, she tried to figure something out to calm her down. Eventually, she decided to sit down and work on her poetry. Raven sat down at her desk and took out a piece she had been working on for the past few weeks. Raven had been crafting this piece with much more emotion then she had with any anything before. It concerned all the major events of her recent life, up to her birthday, Brett, and everything else. Raven had detailed all of her pain, fear, and anxiety into the poem and it truly was a powerful piece. Raven wanted to read it at the café in two days at open mike night. Still, it just didn't feel right yet. Raven needed to add the proper flair to it, and as she began to write, she was fully prepared to do so. However, Raven had barely put pen to paper when the alarm began to sound throughout the Tower. "Figures." She sighed, as she got up and raced to the Tower garage, where the T-Car and BRAT-Mobile were ready and waiting to take them to the site of the disturbance.

The two hyper-cars raced over the bay and shot through the city streets, guided by the signal of the alarm from the city's Power Plant. "So what is it this time?" Bartman asked over the radio in the BRAT-Mobile. "According to the report, it looks like Dr. Light this time." Cyborg answered. "Didn't we just lock him up?" Beast Boy asked. "Apparently, even his fear of Raven isn't enough to keep him there forever." Neuron answered. "He sounds like my kinda guy though." Lightweaver answered from behind Bartman. "Sadly, he's not half the man you are." Raven replied from the T-Car. "Uh, ok." The fox answered, just as both cars arrived at the Plant.

Both teams exited the cars, expecting to find some sort of wreckage site. Instead, they found what looked like a normal power plant. "Subtle? That's not usually his style." Robin commented, as he looked around. "Well, he must be around here somewhere." Starfire said, as if she was trying to reassure Robin that he hadn't missed anything. Suddenly, the front of the building exploded, blasting both teams back in a spray of debris. "I think we found him." Beast Boy said, as he knocked rubble from out of his ear.

Indeed, Dr. Light stepped out a few seconds later. But this was not the villain that they had known before. The good doctor had substantially increased the power of his suit. It was now a huge battle suit that covered his entire body and gave him about six feet in height. Weapons sprung from all over his armored form; the only part of him uncovered was his face. "Hello Titans, I glad you were here to see the new light." He sneered from the suit. "Now, I shall bring into my new day!" With that, bursts of red light shot forth from the cannons mounted on his shoulders. Thankfully, Cyborg and Whimpernel canceled it out with bursts of high intensity sound. "Sorry, but it's not daybreak yet!" Robin yelled, as he leapt forward, Birdarangs flying from every direction.

Light however, simply raised an energy shield, which the Birdarangs harmlessly exploded against. "And I thought you were bright." He sneered as he shot forth another blast of light at the boy wonder. Again Robin dodged it, which gave Starfire an open shot. Her starbolts came forth, aiming right for the center of the suit. However, Light raised his hands and the starbolts stopped in midair. "You think you can use space-light against the master of light?" As he moved his hands, the starbolts suddenly tripled in size, and then shot back into the heroes. Then they exploded in a huge blast of energy, blasting everyone back.

"OK, he couldn't do that before." Heatstrike gasped as he tired to get back on his feet. "How in the hell did he get power over starbolts?" Polar asked. "In essence, they're just energized solar light." Neuron said. "He must have increased his control to the level where he can control every kind of light." "Yeah? I think he might've met his match though." Polar said, pointing to the spot where Lightweaver had come up to face the doctor.

"Well, I've never seen you before. I always enjoy showing new faces the light." Light said, as he shot more of the red light at his new foe. Lightweaver just raised her hand and this time, Light's attack halted in midair. As the Doctor stared in shock, the Knight said, "I've seen the light before, and frankly, I know more about then you do." Lightweaver replied, as she shot the light back at the Doctor. The blast hit Light hard, ripping a huge chunk out of his armor. As the circuitry sparked, he sneered and fired another burst at Lightweaver. But he hadn't figured out the plan that his foe had come up with.

"Now!" Lightweaver yelled, as she quickly dodged the blast of light. Suddenly, Nightstalker and Raven appeared behind the Knight. The two of them waved their arms in a circular motion and suddenly and huge black vortex appeared in between them. The light-beam flew into it and disappeared. "What is this?" Light cried in horror, remembering the last vortex he had been sucked into. "Don't worry, it's not for you." Raven said. "It's just for your power." Suddenly, Light realized a draining sensation coursing through his body. Looking down, he saw that Lightweaver was sucking all of the light energy out of his suit and sending it into the vortex. The process was fast too; the suit was already incapable of keeping Light upright. He fell to his knees, as his weapons were drained of their power.

All but one. Light always kept a back-up plan and today was no different. Reaching behind his belt, the doctor drew forth a grenade like device. Pulling the trigger, he threw it at Lightweaver. The device exploded and since it was not a light weapon, Lightweaver could not absorb the impact. She was hurled into one of the outer walls of the power plant. "Sara!" Nightstalker yelled out. Dropping his hands, he ran over to the prone form of his wife. However, in his haste he made a critical error. Raven was now left with the task of holding the vortex of conflicting energy by herself. It was a task that she was not powerful enough to do alone.

"Brett! Help!" the empath yelled, as she struggled to keep the vortex under control. The black form began to swell, the power within it no longer trapped. Sweat ran down Raven's face as she put every last piece of energy she had into keeping the vortex under control. But it just wasn't enough. The vortex exploded in a huge wave of black and white. Raven and Dr. Light were hurled back into the walls. The last of Light's armor broke apart as he slumped forward. It was only then that Nightstalker turned back to the battle. "Shit!" he swore, realizing his mistake. He helped Lightweaver to her feet, and then the two of them ran Raven. Neuron, Beast Boy, and Robin managed to overtake them however. As the rest of the heroes restrained Dr. Light, these three helped Raven to her feet. "Are you ok?" Robin asked, as the Knights returned to the scene. Slowly, Raven pulled back her hood so that they could get a better look. A long cut ran across the whole of her forehead, leaking blood down her face. 'Stalker hissed. Reaching out with his hand, he said, "Lemme heal that." But Raven pulled back from his touch. Before anyone could say anything, she tore a piece of her cloak off, wrapped it around her forehead, and began to walk back to the T-Car. But not before everyone had seen the angry expression on her face when she'd pulled away from the Shadow Knight.


	6. Confrontations

Chap. 6

Confrontations

The ride back to the Tower was tense. Raven sat quietly in the T-car and didn't say a word. The bleeding had stopped, but she didn't seem to notice. Even though her face was emotionless, there was an invisible aura from her that caused everyone around her to sit as far back as possible. Things were no better in the BRAT-Mobile. Brett was distraught over what had happened and he wanted to do something to apologize. But he knew he that he should at least say it to Raven's face, so he sat just as quietly, refusing to even let even Sara try to talk to him about what had happened. So both cars were filled with two quiet, emotional beings, just waiting to get their feelings out.

Finally, the cars reached the Tower. Brett practically leapt out of the BRAT-Mobile, but Raven had already teleported out of the T-Car and was walking down the hallway. Undeterred, the bat followed. "Raven!" he yelled out, trying to her slow her down. The young girl didn't stopped though, so Brett called out two more times. Finally, Raven stopped and turned to face him. "What?" she asked coldly. "Raven, I just want to apologize. I shouldn't have just left you like that." "Don't worry about it. After all, you had to tend to _her_." Raven replied in that same cold voice. "And what's that supposed to mean?" Brett asked, a bit of anger coming into his own voice. "Ever since she got here, you haven't left her side for a single minute. Everything gets pushed aside for her. Dammit Brett, you didn't even tell me she existed and now you throw everything out the window for her." "Rae I just don't like to talk about her when she's gone ok? It depresses me. But that can't be all this about. Are you still mad about this morning?" "Yeah, but I'm more angry that you just left me there to hold that vortex open. What were you thinking?"   
"Rae, look. Sara's my wife and I care about her. What am I supposed to do, not react when someone throws a grenade at her? I've already seen her die once. Do you think it's easy for me to watch her get hurt now?" Those words finally managed to crack Raven's anger. Sighing, she said, "Maybe I over-reacted, but that was still a stupid thing to do." "And I apologized for it. Is there something else I can do to make it up to you?" Raven thought for a minute, then said, "Come to the café Thursday night." "Hmmm.. you must want me to sit through another two hours of listening to 'artists' reading the most abstract and pointless works in history just so I can hear something from you. Sounds good."

Raven nodded her acceptance and turned to walk away. But then she heard Brett say, "Wait. Is Thursday the sixteenth?" "Yeah." "Oh crap, I can't go." Turning around, Raven practically moaned, "What now?" "I need to be with Sara then. That's a really hard day for her." "Are you kidding? What's so important about the sixteenth?" "It's personal." "Don't feed me that!" Raven practically yelled. "You just can't spend one minute away from her can you?" "Raven it's a hard day for me too. I would've done it even if she hadn't been here. Something happened…." "Save it. Go have your 'personal' day, enjoy it. Just don't try to try have any with me anymore ok?" A look of pain washed over Brett. But then came a dim spark of recognition. "You're not jealous are you?" "Don't be ridiculous. I don't get jealous." "Rae, it's fine if that's what this about. I mean, you're right, I shouldn't have kept this hidden from you if we're friends." As he spoke, Brett moved closer to the girl. Reaching up to place his hand on her shoulder, he continued. "But being jealous like this…" "I AM NOT JEALOUS OF HER!" Raven yelled. Suddenly, black energy whirled out, grabbed Brett and threw him against the wall, knocking him out. It disappeared a moment later, but Raven's horror over this loss of control did not. "Brett, I'm sorry." She cried, her anger forgotten. She began to move towards him, but then a voice said, "Stay away from him."

Raven turned around, to see Sara standing before her. The fox had her wrist blade drawn, and it glowed with a golden aura. "It was an accident." Raven began. But Sara wouldn't hear it. "I knew this would happen." She said coldly. All allusions of trusting Raven had vanished the second Brett had been hurled into the wall. It was time for Sara to deal with her the way she deserved. "I told Brett not to trust you, but he never listened. This is what your kind always does." Raven didn't respond; she just stood there as Sara moved closer. "It's not my fault." The empath managed to get out. "Of course not. It's never your fault, because you look like everyone else. But I know. I know what you really are inside. I know the monster you really are." "I-I'm not.." Oh but you are. But now you have something you need; a muzzle. I'm going to watch you Raven, all the time. The minute you do this again, I'll cut you down. Someone's going to do it eventually, might as well be me." That was the final straw. Eyes watering, Raven pushed the fox aside and ran off to her room. Sara watched her go, and then turned as she heard the sounds of her husband waking up.

The door slammed shut as Raven ran inside. Throwing herself on her bed, she sobbed, burying her face in the covers. Sara's words kept ringing in her ears and each time she heard them, they cut a little deeper. "It's not true." Raven sobbed. "It's not." She moved her hand up to wipe her face and brushed against something. Looking up, she saw it was the poem that she had been working on. For a moment, she looked at it, then Raven grabbed it and tore it to shreds. What did anything she wrote about matter? She'd never be good enough. Someone would always be telling her she was damned, that she wasn't worth anything. "I don't want this anymore." She cried. "I just want to be… anything else." "Dear girl," a voice suddenly said. "You don't get to choose." It was a voice that chilled Raven to her core. Turing around, she saw the being that had spoken….

"I can't believe you said that to her!" Brett cried angrily, as he stared at Sara. "It doesn't mean I wasn't right." The fox answered, not dropping her stance. "Goddamnit, why do you always do this Sara?" "Do what?" "See everything in black and white. No matter how long we do this, everything is just good or evil to you. There can never be any gray." "What, so there aren't any borders anymore?" "No, but…. Dammit what right did you have to say that to her?" "She's a _demon, _Brett. Maybe you don't wanna admit it, but that means something bad." "She's also a fifteen-year-old girl who's been trying her entire life to control that part of her. It's so easy for you isn't it? You don't have anything that can control you, anything that can change you." Sara tried to speak, but Brett was a rage now, refusing to stop. "Don't you remember how hard it was for you? When you first become a Knight, didn't you hate the stares? Didn't you hate the people who feared you, even as they were trying to save you? Didn't you tell me more then once, how you wanted to rip away the fur? How can you have forgotten that, and tried to force it onto her?" Brett stopped then, and Sara just stared, completely at a loss for words.

Suddenly, Starfire flew up between them. "Friends, you must come! Something horrible has happened!" "What's wrong!" Sara asked. "It is Raven. She is not in her room." "So?" Brett asked. "Her room is also trashed, and we cannot find her in the Tower. There is also some sort of symbol in her room, like the one on Slade's forehead." At that, both Knights paled. "Show us." Brett said, and the three of them raced to Raven's room.


	7. Sacrifices

Chap. 7

Sacrifices

Brett, Sara, and Starfire reached Raven's room and flung the door open. Inside they found the other Titans and BRATS waiting for them. The room was just as Starfire had said. The furniture was thrown all over, books littered the floor, and even the wallpaper had been torn up. But the most ominous sight was the symbol that had been burned into the wall space above Raven's bed. It was the same enigmatic mark that they had seen on Slade when he had returned from the grave. Only two of them had known what it meant then, and now there were three who understood its dark meaning.

Robin was the first to speak. "How did Slade get through the security? I thought you changed the codes, Cyborg." "I did." The bionic teen answered. "But Slade came back from the dead. I don't think that getting past the system is that hard for him now." "I just wish we knew what he wanted with her." Neuron said, as he examined the symbol. "Hell, I wish we knew anything about this mess." "Maybe someone can tell us then." Bartman said. "Brett, you're the supernatural expert here. You said you didn't get a good look at the mark last time, I'd say you've got a chance now. What does it mean?"

The bat nodded, and walked over to the symbol. Pretending to look it over, he began to craft the answer he would give. He knew what it meant of course; few in his circle did not know the mark of Trigon. However, he didn't want to tell them everything just yet. No, he wanted to believe that Raven would tell them herself someday. Besides, whether they knew everything or not would not make a difference right now. "Well?" Beast Boy asked. Turning around, Brett said, "This is the mark of a hell-demon." "A hell-demon?" Starfire asked, not understanding the difference. "A hell-demon is one of the chief demons in the Pit." Brett explained. "They're the only ones with the power to bring back the dead. For a price of course."

"Do you have any idea which one brought Slade back?" Bartman asked. Brett opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Sara said, "Oh, this one has a name all right." Everyone turned to face her then, curious to find the answer. Brett however, only looked at his wife with an expression of anger and wanting. Brett hoped that she would have enough mercy not to say what he was afraid to. He knew what she probably would say of course, that the demon was Raven's father. But he knew that once that was said, Raven would never forgive either of them. Worse, the others would hate him for not telling them in the first place. _God, why do I keep so many secrets? _He wondered. _First Sara, now Trigon. And I haven't even told them about him yet… _

"But no one knows what it is." came Sara's voice, cutting through his inner thoughts. For a moment, Brett thought that he had misheard, but then she continued. "All that we really know is that he's been locked up in hell since creation and that he needs a special kind of vessel to get out." "Like a half-demon." Neuron said thoughtfully. "But how does Slade fit in?" "Old story." Sara said. "Villain dies, goes to hell, makes deal with demon, comes back. Slade must've promised to bring him Raven." "Hmm. Raven said that she had some kind of destiny. Maybe this is it." Robin commented, remembering his experience on her birthday. "Whatever the case, we need to find her." Milhouse said. "Has anyone tried her communicator?"

"You mean it's not here?" Cyborg asked. The boy shook his head. "Well, I suppose it's worth a try then." With that, Cy fiddled with the controls on his arm, trying to get a signal. Finally, he got something. "According to this, she's in the caverns, about the spot where we put Slade to rest." "Then let's go." Beast Boy said, moving towards the door.

But Nelson grabbed him by the collar before he could make it out. "Hold it, Greenie." He said. "This seems a little too convenient." "He's right." Robin said. "That's the first place we would've looked. Slade wants us to find him." "Why?" asked Starfire. "I don't know, but we can't just go running in there with out a plan." Turning to Sara, Robin asked, "Does Slade need us for any kind of ritual?" "I doubt it." The fox answered. "He probably just wants us to watch." Robin nodded, and began to think. Suddenly he said, "Do you think you can make something to stop his flames, Cyborg?" "Sure, just gimme some time." Was the reply. "All right, you've got half-an-hour, then we move out." With that, the heroes began to leave the room. Brett however, simply stared at Sara for a moment. The fox just shrugged her shoulders and left.

True to his word, Cyborg created an anti-incendiary device in just under the time limit. Once the device was tested, the heroes made tracks for the caverns. Parking the cars in front of the caves, they exited and took a look at the entrance. None of them were looking forward to this expedition. The memory of Terra was still fresh on everyone's mind, and they had no wish to re-visit the site of her demise. Beast Boy, especially, was grappling with what to do. Part of him was afraid to think about what that cave held for him. But he realized a stronger part was desperate to save Raven. _I can't lose another friend._ He thought, and with that, he took a step forward and walked into the cave. Within minutes, he heard the others following.

Slowly, the group made their way through the caverns. It was not easy going, because of the numerous twists and turns the paths seemed to take. Every few seconds, a formation seemed to block their way, or the ground would vanish. Thankfully, light from Sara and Starfire made sure there were no serious injuries. Still, everyone was nervous just from the knowledge they were going to have a fight a demon _and_ Slade. Worse still, the two members who knew the most about their enemies had their mind on other things.

"Why didn't you tell them?" Brett asked, keeping his voice low. He and Sara had made sure that they were near the back of the line so that they could speak, but he didn't want to take chances. True, this meant more secrets, but the bat didn't think about that right now. "Because you were right." Sara whispered. "I don't have any right to call her a monster, not after what I've been through. But Brett, you do realize how far this might go. If she is… changed, we're going to have too…" "I know." He answered. "I've been prepared for that for a long time. But I want to make sure that you're going to save her before you destroy her." At that, Sara's face grew dark. "You honestly think I wouldn't do that? Brett, if you do care about her this much, I think I can certainly try. Besides, I don't want her corrupted for the world's sake." "All right. Just remember that."

The fox nodded and they continued to move on. Soon they reached the large room where Slade had been buried. The lava had hollowed it out, creating a large circular effect. There was a huge gap in the floor, right across from a huge platform. One by one, each of the heroes leapt onto it. Looking around, they waited for a sign that their enemy was present.

However, they found nothing. "I don't get it. This is where the signal was coming from. She's got to be here." Cyborg said. "Maybe if we split up?" Polar suggested. "Oh, I don't think you'll have time for that." A familiar voice said from up above. Suddenly the ground began to shake beneath the heroes' feet. Before anyone could move, the stone seemed to liquefy beneath them. It wrapped around their bodies in an instant, trapping them inside. They struggled to escape, but to no avail. Worse, the longer they were trapped, the weaker they began to feel. One by one, each hero felt the world slip out from under them. They faded into pools of blackness, unable to stay awake.

Slade leapt down from the ceiling then. Once he might've feared such a drop, but re-born, he had no fear of anything. Carrying the unconscious Raven on his shoulders, he walked past each of her friends, shaking his head at their foolishness. "I really expected better from you." He said. "But I guess that's too much, isn't it 'Stalker?" "Come and find out Slade." The bat snarled, fighting against his prison. For some reason, he and Sara had not lost consciousness and were still trying to get out. "I don't think I'll have to." Slade answered, looking right in the bat's face. "My master will see to you personally, once he escapes." Turning to Sara, he said, "My, you do have good taste. Why if she wasn't a freak, I just might find her attractive." Sara gave no response, except a deep-seated snarl. "Feisty too. Now where was I?"

Slade deposited Raven on the ground. Placing his hand on her forehead, he softly began to chant. Suddenly, Raven sat up with a scream, sweat running down her face. "Pleasant dreams?" Slade asked. "What is this?" Raven asked, looking around. Then she saw her friends, and her confusion turned to anger. "Release them!" she cried, her hands glowing with black energy. "Oh but if I could." Slade answered. "You see, I'm doing more then trapping them. The ground is keeping them still by draining off their meta-human energy. They're actually holding themselves prisoner. And frankly, they don't have much longer to live. The Knights only survive because their power is infinite. But your other friends… well." "What do you want for them?" Raven demanded. "Oh Raven, it's not what I want, it's what he wants."

Sudnely there was a blast of heat from the back of the cave. Everyone turned to see a huge fiery circle blazing in the cave wall. As they watched, four yellow eyes appeared within it. At the sight of them, Raven went cold. "Father." She whispered. "Yes Raven. And he wants you." Slade said. "Go to him. Give him a way out and I'll release your friends." "Raven no!" Brett screamed. "He'll posses you, and Slade will kill us anyway!" "Don't trust him!" Sara yelled. But Raven just took a look at the others. Beast Boy's green skin was almost completely white. He wouldn't last much longer, and the others were the same. Head down, Raven began to walk towards the portal, to the end of everything that she was.

Brett watched this, and knew it was time for him to act. He'd been planning for this day a long time, just as he had told Sara. At first, he simply planned to kill; that seemed easiest. But now, he planned to save, and he knew just how to do it. Brett had read up on Trigon, and in doing so, learned of a weakness the demon held. If Brett exploited this weakness, it could possibly lead to his own death, but Brett didn't care. Within the stone, he moved his hand to his sword and put everything into motion. He began to chant, a low, rhythmic rhyme of words that had never been put down by mankind. Suddenly, the stone around him broke away. Brett dropped to the ground, hoping that his escape hadn't been heard. He was lucky; Slade and Raven were so focused on what was about to happen they hadn't heard a thing. Sara had also had enough good sense not to shout when he'd escaped. Turning to his wife, Brett mouthed, "I love you." Then he placed his sword on the ground and began to run.

A tendril of smoke had emerged from the fire-hole. It stretched forth, growing a little more each second. Soon it would completely enfold Raven and the possession would be complete. The empathy knew this, even as she walked forward. She had read about it for years, knowing that fate that was in front of her. Finally, she stopped, completely ready for the next step. The smoke seemed to bolt forward, as though it was alive and eager to fulfill its need. And it would have too, but then Raven felt something pull on her hood. Without warning, she was thrown to the ground, out of the smoke's path. As she looked up, she saw the mist enter the body of Brett. The bat began to struggle, his body shaking violently. Before Raven could do anything, blazing red energy shot forth from the bat's eyes and mouth. It covered him like a slimly blanket, enfolding every part of his body. Suddenly with a burst, it vanished. When it did, Brett was gone.

The being that remained was a mockery of the bat. It stood eight feet tall, its fur blood red with black streaks. It was heavily muscled, almost to the point of seeming ludicrous. Huge wings grew from its back. But the worst was when Raven saw its face. The kind, caring face of Brett had been twisted into a slanting monstrosity. Its jaw was filled with teeth, and the entire face seemed ruptured and demonic. Worst of all were the four yellow eyes that were now present in the skull. The figure took one look at Raven, then threw back its head and laughed, a deep chilling sound that was the most horrible Raven had ever heard. Pumping its wings, the monster flew up through the cave ceiling, rubble falling in its wake. Raven set up a shield around herself and the others and the rocks bounced harmlessly off. Finally, she was able to drop it, just in time to see Slade fly off after the being he called master and that she had once called friend.


	8. Brett's Plan

Chap.8

Brett's Plan

For a time, the world seemed to stand still. Raven had no sense of anything around her. All she knew was the thoughts that echoed within her mind. _He sacrificed himself for me. What do I do? How can I save him? **Can **I save him? _It was a jumbled, frantic mess of thoughts, coming from a frantic and horrific event. Of course, Raven had a special understanding of it. She knew the evil her father was capable of, and what he could do on his own. But that evil with Brett's powers added to it… such a thing was too horrible to imagine. It could have taken hours before Raven could have calmed down enough to work out a plan. But Sara's voice cut through the chatter and re-focused her on the task at hand.

"Raven! C'mon, get me out of this thing!" Sara yelled, still trapped inside the rocky prison. Raven shook her head at the sound, clearing out the cobwebs. Looking over towards her friends she saw that their color was returning, which calmed her down a bit. They were still unconscious, so there was little point in releasing them just yet. Gesturing towards the fox, Raven's power spread out over the rock and reduced it to dust. Sara shakily stepped out, then looked at the girl with anger in her eyes. "What did you do to make him care so much!" she cried, distraught at what had happened. But this was not the time to press Raven about anything, especially something this felt this horrible over. "Don't start, ok! You think I don't care about this too?" Raven cried, her barely contained feelings almost overwhelming her. "I had no idea that he planned this, and I certainly didn't ask him to. I'm sick of you trying to blame everything on me. I can't help what I am, but at least it didn't matter to him! At least he tried to help me, instead of kill me!"

"And what did it get him!" Sara asked, her anger and grief over what had happened fueling her words. "He spent everything he had on trying to save you, and now it may have cost him his soul!" Walking to Raven , she grabbed the empathy in close, wanting her next words to be completely understood. But as she did, a piece of paper fluttered to the ground from Raven's hood. "What the.." they both said, their anger forgotten. Looking down, they saw that the words _Read Me _were inscribed on it in Brett's handwriting. "He must have put it there when he grabbed me." Raven said. Letting go of the girl, Sara bent down and picked it up. Unfolding it, she began to read aloud.

_My friends,_

_If you are reading this, then my plan has gone into effect. I have been possessed by the spirit of Trigon, and my body belongs to him. Don't think that this was spur-of-the-moment. I have been researching the demon for months, trying to see if there was some way of blocking him from Raven. By possessing me, he has given us a chance to do that. But before he can be stopped I need to give you the tools. Raven, my sword will still be with you guys. Even in my body, no being of evil may touch it. Pick it up and place your hand on the stone in its hilt. _

Sara stopped at this point, and looked over at the spot where the Shadowblade lay. It was still sheathed, lying on the ground, and seemingly waiting to be used. She then looked at Raven, and motioned for her to move. Slowly the empath walked over to the sword. Picking it up, she did as instructed, placing her hand upon the stone. the second she had done this, the stone began to glow. Before she could move, the shadowfire exploded from the stone, engulfing her in its flame. Sara watched in amazement as the flames covered the girl, while at the same time, they entered her body through her eyes and mouth. Raven gave no sign of pain, but seemed to surge as the power flowed into her. Finally, the flames disappeared, and they saw the finished product. The armor of the Nightstalker, worn so proudly by Brett, now covered Raven. It had altered itself, fitting to the shape of her body. Her cloak and hood remained, but the cloak had been enhanced with the metal spines of the Nightstalker's cape. The helmet appeared in Raven's hand, fitted to slide under her hood. "Whaa.. How did this happen!" Raven asked, as she looked over her armored form. Sara quickly went back to the note.

_Before I put my plan into action, I transferred all of my shadow powers into the blade. That is how I was able to escape, since the stone no longer had meta-human strength to drain. However, my healing powers remain with my body. But not my immortality, which remains with my spirit. Raven, you and Sara need to work together to stop Trigon. With my powers enhancing yours, there is a chance. According to my research, Trigon was locked away by the powers of good and evil, and only such powers can lock him away again. It also says that if Trigon is destroyed in a mortal form, **he will be forever trapped in Hell. **You must destroy my body and lock him away. I don't know what will happen to me, but it does not matter. Destroying that evil and saving both Raven and the world will be reward enough. Perhaps the Mages will resurrect me, perhaps not. Either way, you must do this thing. I know that it will be hard, but you are heroes. I know you will do what is right, even if your hearts break. That is our way. I have never been prouder to serve with anyone, save the Knights. I wish you peace, my new family. Sara, my sweet wife I am sorry that I have to leave you again. But if I am not returned to you, I will always watch over you. Raven, Sara and I will never be able to recreate the family we once had. If I could have been anyone else's father, I wish I could have been yours. I know that makes you uncomfortable, but it is the truth._

_Farewell_

_Brett _

_The Nightstalker_

Sara finished the note and folded it into her pocket. Then she looked over at Raven. As the empath rose to her feet, Sara said, "We don't have a choice, do we?" "No, I suppose not." Raven answered, as she picked up the sword and strapped it to her back. "This doesn't mean I trust you." The fox said. "It doesn't mean I care." Raven replied. The two of them took a hard look at each other. Neither one fully trusted the other; it was unlikely either ever would. The only thing that they agreed on was that the monster that had once been their friend had to be put to rest. "He's going to die for you, you know." Sara said. "Not if I can help it." Raven answered. "There has to be a way to separate them. I'm going to find it, and then I'm going to send my father back to hell. But I know I need your help. So we have to trust each other. No more secrets, so there's something you're gonna tell me, just like there's something I'm gonna tell you." Sara began to ask what it was, but then a sound came from behind them. Both turned to see Robin break out of his stone prison. Falling to the ground, he gasped for air, still weakened from the time spent within the rock. Raven and Sara quickly went over to him, gently helping him to his feet. "Are you ok?" Raven asked. "I think so." Robin wheezed. But then he noticed Raven's new armor. "What happened to you?" he asked. "Where's Brett?" The girls looked at each other, then Sara said, "Let's get the others out, then we'll explain."

The girls went to work; smashing the stone around each hero and freeing them form the earth's clutch. When each one had been freed, Sara and Raven told the story of Brett's plan (leaving out certain details) and read his note aloud. When they finished, both Titans and BRATS were in disbelief. "I can't believe this." Bartman said. "How are we supposed to destroy him? I mean, Brett made the WILDBRATS. How can we…" "We're not going to." Raven said. "We're going to save him." "How?" Cyborg asked. "None of us know anything about exorcisms." "No, we do." Sara said. "It's the best shot we have." "Then we'd best get going." Beast Boy said, getting up and heading for the cave entrance. The others began to follow, but Raven said that she and Sara would catch up in a minute.

When the others were out of range, Raven turned to Sara and said, "Ok, now we're gonna share. Brett said in the note that if he could have been anyone else's father, he would've been mine." "So?" Sara asked. "If he said else, that's means there was someone first. Who is he talking about?" Sara shook her head. "He really doesn't like to talk about the past does he? Brett was talking about our son."


	9. Fathers, Sons, and Demons

Chap. 9

Fathers, Sons, and Demons

"Your son?" Raven asked. "It all happened sixteen years ago, when Brett and I first got married." Sara explained. "We'd talked about having a child, but Brett was afraid of what his… nature might do to our child's appearance. He consulted with the first Lightweaver, who was now Gatekeeper of the Tower, and they learned there was about a fifty-fifty chance the child would be born different. We decided to take it. Nine months later, Jeremy was born. He was completely human, and we were so happy. But after I… died… Brett couldn't be a father anymore; just looking at Jeremy reminded him of me. He left the Knighthood and left him with my sister. We haven't seen him since."

"You mean he's still alive?" Raven asked. "Then why…" "Don't we go see him?" Sara finished. "He thinks his father abandoned him, and that his mother is dead. What could we say to explain that? How could we tell him that he's not completely human?" "I-I had no idea." Raven stammered, completely at a loss for words. "It's ok. I can deal with it. It's just harder around this time of year. Thursday is his birthday, you see." "The sixteenth." Raven whispered. "Yes. Does that mean something else to you?" Sara asked. "That's what we were arguing about before. Brett, he was trying to apologize for what happened with Dr. Light and I told him to come to this poetry reading that night. He said that he couldn't, that you needed him then. I just tore into him; I didn't even let him explain. God I feel like such a shit."

But Sara replied, "He said he wanted to." "What?" "After you left, he woke up and I told him what happened. He was enraged, not because you knocked him out, but because of what I said to you. He said that he felt bad enough about denying you the café already, but now he had to apologize for me. I didn't know what he was talking about, but now.." Sara sighed, and sat down. "I've never seen Brett get that worked up about disappointing someone before. He really cares about you, you know." "Yeah, but he loves you." Raven answered. "He drops everything for you." "Are you nuts? If he didn't love you, why he spend half the morning trying to find a restaurant close to that bookstore?" "He did that?" Raven asked, a trace of emotion in her voice. "Yep. And after this morning, he spent the whole ride back in silence, thinking up what to say to you. He wouldn't even let me talk to him about it, and he's never done that before. Frankly, I felt like I had to win him back or something. I think that's why I said most of those things to you."

The two women stood silent then, neither one sure of what to say. Finally, Raven said, "I guess this sounds kinda stupid doesn't it?" "I think so." Sara answered. "Look, I don't know how we're going to get over this," Raven began. "But I do know that we both want Brett back. Do you think you can trust a half-demon enough to do that?" Sara was quiet for a moment, then stood up and said, "Can you trust a half-human enough to do this?" Raven nodded, and the two shook hands, swearing that they would bring this nightmare to a halt.

But at this point, it was one hell of a nightmare. Trigon had taken his new form to the very heart of the city. The demon had been imprisoned for centuries and he had seen the progress of humanity in that time. Now he wanted to burn it to the ground and dance in its ashes. Shrieking his horrible laughter, Trigon sent forth beams of demonfire at the buildings around him. As the explosions hit and rubble began falling, the people ran in terror. "Yes! Flee pathetic mortals! Flee from Trigon!" the monster cried out gleefully as his power sent more waves of destruction throughout the city.

"Well done, master." Slade commented behind Trigon, as the resurrected villain added his own fire to the destruction. "Indeed, my servant." Trigon answered, his eyes glowing viciously. "I have not felt so alive in ages! And once I discover how to unlock this body's shadow powers, I will bring this world to its knees! To think, I was going to settle for my daughter's ability." "Of course master. But do not forget our agreement. I am to have this country when the world is yours." "I do not reward impertinence, Slade." Trigon said, wheeling onto his servant. "But I do reward loyalty. I will give you this land, as we agreed."

Meanwhile, the Titans and BRATS were racing through the highways, trying to reach the city. "So, does anyone have an idea of what we're gonna do when we get there?" Beast Boy asked. "We find this demon and stop him." Robin answered curtly. "Somehow, I'm not comforted." Beast Boy replied. Suddenly, the T-Cars communicator beeped. "Guys, I may have some good news." Bartman said over the wire. "What's that?" Raven asked. "Well, we may not know how to stop this guy, but I don't think finding him will be a problem." "Look!" Starfire cried in horror, pointing to the cityscape in front of them. The heroes gaped in horror. Jump City was burning. Flames leapt out from the heart of the city, seeming to grow every minute. A sane person would have turned around right then and there. But these were heroes, which meant they had to be a little crazy. They gunned the cars' engines, and shot towards the city.

The huge building was covered in flame. One by one, the windows began to explode from the heat. "This is truly glorious." Trigon sneered as he listened to the people inside the building shriek. "This city will be the first of many to fall to me." "They will send armies, Master." Salde said. "How long will it be until you can summon your legions?" "Soon enough. My power grows by the minute. When I am ready, I will summon my hordes through the gateway, and then I will truly be unstoppable!"

"Then we'd better make sure that doesn't happen!" a voice cried from behind them. Both villains turned around to see the Titans and BRATS standing before them. But Trigon just laughed. "This is the first army of man? A group of children and an Elemental? What do I have to fear from this?" "More then you think." Robin answered. "For one thing, you got the rankings wrong." "What?" "Two Elementals, Father." Raven said, as she stepped out from behind the T-Car. "So the bat was smarter then I thought." Trigon said, seeing Raven's armor and the sword. "But truly, do you think you can control such power? Do you truly believe you can destroy me with it?" Raven's only response was to place the Nighstalker helmet on her face. "So be it." Trigon said, and he shot forth his demonfire.


	10. Price of Freedom

Chap. 10

Price of Freedom

As the fire shot forth, the heroes quickly leapt/flew out of its way. However, the same actions could not be applied to the T-Car and BRAT-Mobile. The vehicles took the blast head-on and exploded in fiery debris. "My BABY!" Cyborg cried, as he tearfully viewed the wreckage of his car. Then, eyes burning with rage, Cyborg whipped out his sonic cannon, and screaming, "DIE!" blasted Trigon with all the power he could muster. The wave of sound hit the demon head on, and he buckled under its impact. In fact, when the beam finally stopped, Cyborg realized he might have gone too far. There was now a huge gaping hole in the demon's chest. But before anyone could say or do anything, the hole began to seal itself. Within minutes, it seemed as though it had never been there. The demon smiled, and then blasted Cyborg with demonfire. The bionic teen was thrown back into a nearby building by the impact. Having dispensed with him, Trigon turned to the heroes and asked, "Who's next?"

At that, Sara and Raven came forward. Looking at Robin, the fox whispered, "Can you guys keep Slade off our backs?" The boy wonder nodded. "Then let's go." Raven whispered back. Sara quickly changed into Lightweaver, and drawing their weapons, the girls charged Trigon. The demon shot at them, but they were too quick for him to hit and within minutes, they rammed into him, throwing him back through the wall of a nearby building. Slade attempted to attack, but Bartman's cable wrapped around the villain and pulled him back towards the heroes. "You gotta deal with us first." Heatstrike said, his fists already beginning to glow with fire. But Slade simply answered, "All right." And with the power of his own flame, he snapped through Barman's grapple as though it was twine.

Meanwhile, Lightweaver and Raven entered the building where Trigon had landed. Weapons drawn, they quickly began to search. "How does something that big hide this well?" Sara muttered, as she looked over every aspect of the room. "I imagine he's had plenty of time to practice." Raven answered. "Indeed I have." A voice said from nowhere. Instantly, both girls tensed. "Where are you father?" Raven asked, as she slowly paced the room, looking for any kind of sign of where the demon was. "Oh, I think I'll keep that to myself for now." Trigon answered, his voice seeming to come from all over the room. "We're gonna find you anyway." Sara answered, taking the same precautions that Raven was.

"Do you think I care?" Trigon answered, voice echoing. "Even if you do find me, you'll never destroy me. It would mean destroying your precious friend." "We'll separate you two, and then send you back to hell, where you belong." Lightweaver countered. "Please. Don't you think I know what you plan to do? It's so obvious. Even the Knight knows. I can still hear him. It's like a little voice inside my head. He's screaming at you to kill me. You know why? Because he knows there's no chance for him to be saved."

"That's a lie!" Raven yelled, anger coming into her voice. "Control, daughter." Trigon sneered mockingly. "Didn't they always teach you control? Besides, it is true. He's begging you to kill me. But I think it's because he doesn't want to know that his hands were the ones that killed you. I wonder how much suffering it'll bring him when he sees his own hands rip out your heart, Raven. Or what I'll do to his wife, after she begs me for death."

Lightweaver bit her tongue, trying to resist the anger that was rising toher lips at the demon's words. Instead, she tried to focus on the task at hand, just like she had been taught. Clearing all distractions, the Knight continued to look for the source of the voice. It was a good thing she had chosen so, because she heard a sound like the unfurling of wings, coming from above.

Suddenly, she realized why Trigon had been speaking with them. _He's distracting us, trying to get an open shot. _She turned to Raven, signaling what was going to happen, but Raven already seemed to know. The empath was crouched down, arms in front of her like a catcher at the plate. _Smart kid. _Sara thought as she assumed the same stance. There was a brief silence, and then the sound of something cutting through the air. It was coming from behind them, but before Trigon could strike, the girls whirled around to face him. They each caught one of the demon's outstretched wings and using his own momentum, flipped him up and out of the building through a wall.

"Robin ,haven't you learned anything yet?" Slade asked, as he tightened his grip on the boy wonder's throat. "You can't beat me, and you never will." Robin struggled to break the villain's grip, but he could already feel the world start to black out on him. But then, Slade felt a burst of electricity shoot up his arm, numbing it. His nerveless fingers released Robin involuntarily, as Slade cradled his injured arm. Before he could grab Robinwith his other arm, a blur shot past him, taking Robin away. Slade looked up, just in time to see Neuron place Robin under Starfire's care.

"You're only delaying the inevitable." The villain replied, as the feeling came back into his arm. "I will destroy you eventually." "Maybe, maybe not." Bartman replied, stepping to the front of the group. But in truth, Slade was probably right. The heroes were burned and bloodied, as well as exhausted. Slade had been difficult enough for them to defeat as a man. Re-born, it seemed impossible. But the craziness that had caused them to drive into a city that was on fire always made them refuse to give up. Cyborg prepared to fire his cannon, as Beast Boy, Bartman and the remaining BRATS prepared another charge.

Suddenly, there was a huge blast of plaster from the building behind the combatants. Everyone turned to see what was going on, and they saw one hell of a sight. Trigon was battling with the Knights, and it was hard-pressed to see who was winning. Despite being outnumbered, the demon battled with an unbelievable ferocity, using his demonfire, and a makeshift sword of a steel pipe, with the strength and cunning of shark. However, Lightweaver matched his ferocity bite-for-bite, clawing and slashing every chance she got, which was quite often. As for Raven, well, the others were in total amazement. It was as if they were watching Brett instead, and only the hood and cloak gave away any sign of a change. Raven was wielding the sword as if she had practiced for years, and using the shadowfire as easily as if it had been her normal powers. When Trigon brought his pipe down, she caught it with the blade, forced it up, and then blinded the demon with shadowfire before slicing the pipe in two. Raven also seemed to have gained much of Brett's fighting prowess as she suddenly leapt up, wrapped both legs around Trigon's neck, and flipping backwards threw him head first onto the ground. Raven flipped back up, just in time to see Lightweaver send an arrow of light straight into Trigon's body, causing him to howl with pain.

"I'll deal with you later." Slade said, and he turned to help his master. But the demon, slowly rising to his feet, put his hand out to stop his servant. "I will deal with them on my own." Trigon said. Slade seemed to disagree, but finally nodded his acceptance. Turning back to the Titans and BRATS, he suddenly threw up his arms, and a huge wall of flame erupted from the ground, cutting them off from their friends. "All yours master." Slade said.

"Well done." Trigon said, nodding his acceptance. Turning back to the girls, the demon said, "You fight well." "You want some more examples?" Raven asked. Having Brett's powers had definitely enhanced her mind; looking at Trigon, she could see about twenty ways to take him down. It was like when she had been Starfire's body, with foreign instincts almost completely taking over. But this didn't seem to matter to Trigon. "Truthfully no." the demon replied. "I have another idea." Suddenly, the demon drove both fists down into the ground, causing the pavement buckle and crack with veins of fire. Raven and Lightweaver instantly spread their wings and flew above it, just in time to see most of it fall away ,as a huge hole opened within the ground. As they looked down, the hole seemed to go on forever. "What the hell is he doing?" Lightweaver cried out. "He's summoning his legions. "Raven answered, her voice barely a whisper. "We're screwed."

Outside the flame wall, Slade was continuing to keep the others busy. "We've gotta get in there and help!" Robin yelled, as he dodged more of Slade's flame. "Great, and how are we supposed to survive that thing!" Beast Boy yelled back, as he morphed into a rhino and began to charge Slade. But the villain simply pointed at the ground under the shape shifter's feet. Almost instantly, it melted, trapping Beast Boy inside. As the green rhino struggled to get out, Slade summoned a huge ball of flame and shot it directly at theyoung shape-shifter. But before it hit, Beast Boy changed into a spider and crawled into the huge indentations left by his rhino form. The fireball passed over him harmlessly. "Clever." Slade said, as Beast Boy remerged from the hole. "But not clever enough."

But before the villain could act, a beam of ice froze his hands together. Turning, Slade saw Polar, looking ready to fight. "You know this won't hold me. "Slade said, as the ice was already beginning to melt. "No, but it will give us a second to act. "Polar answered. "You forgot, one of us is immune to you." Slade turned then, just in time to see Heatstrike ignite his rocket-boots and fly through the flame-wall. "I forgot, he's immune to flame." Slade muttered. Shattering the ice, he looked at Polar and said, "But you're not." And blasted the young boy with fire.

The situation was growing worse within the wall. Noises were beginning to come from the hole, and the Knights could see shapes in the darkness. "Does anyone have a plan!" Lightweaver asked, as she stared down at the nightmare that was slowly emerging.. "Depends on what the problem is." Heatstrike replied, as he flew up to meet them. "How did you... oh never mind, we need all the help we can get here." Lightweaver replied. "My father is summoning his army. We need to destroy him now." Raven said grimly. "But that will mean destroying Brett." Heatstrike realized. "There must be another way. How was Trigon defeated before?" "The forces of good and evil banded together and stopped him. Any idea how to get that now?" Raven replied. But Heatstrike was already getting an idea.

"Good and evil... wait, what if you two combine your powers on him?" "Are you nuts? That's the most powerful force in the universe, there's no way he would survive!" Sara yelled. "Exactly! Look, Brett's the Shadow Knight, right?" Both girls nodded. "But his shadow is the kind that's needed in the world. Trigon's isn't. And since they're in the same body, Brett is like the light force, at least when compared with Trigon. If you use both powers on him..." "It might hurt Trigon and strengthen Brett. "Raven finished. "But how do we know that will work?" "Do you have a better idea?" Heatstrike countered. "Besides, we're running out of time." Indeed, the demons were almost to the top of the hole. Soon they would escape.

"It's now or never." Heatstrike said. The two Knights looked at each other and nodded. Slowly, they placed their weapons side-by-side and aimed them at Trigon. The demon was so concerned with keeping the hole open, that he didn't even notice. Slowly, the blades began to glow, their powers fusing through the sheer will of their masters. Finally, the blades shot forth a huge beam of black and gold which struck Trigon head on. The demon didn't even have time to scream, as he was thrown back by the sheer force of the beam. As he was ripped away from the ground, there was a cry from the hole, as it began to shrink on the demons trapped inside. Yet the two Knights did not stop, pouring as much power as they could into the beam. Trigon became invisible under the beams' glow, as it cut him away at the same time. Finally, the hole vanished and Heatstrike cried out for them to stop. With an effort, the Knights stayed their hands, and the beam vanished.

"Did it work?" asked Raven, as they hovered to the ground. Slowly, the group made it's way over to the ruined body of Trigon. There was almost nothing left of the demon; most of his skin had been burned away, and his face was skeletal from the loss of flesh. "Oh God." Lightweaver said, as she stumbled away in horror. The others were equally shocked; now there was no chance to save Brett. "I-I thought.." Heatstrike began, but then stopped, unable to say anything more. Raven just stared, her face unseeable behind the helmet, but her emotions unmistakable as she dropped to her knees.

But then, laughter filled air. The ground turned back and saw in horror that the skull-face was laughing. The skin was re-growing around its face and it was beginning to stand up. Within minutes, the process was done, and Trigon stood before them once again. "Nice try." The demon sneered, and blasted the shocked heroes with demonfire. It struck them head on and they flew back hard. Landing, they weakly sat up, as Trigon began to walk towards them.


	11. Trust

Chap. 11

Trust

"Why didn't it kill him?" Heatstrike swore, as he tried to get to his feet. "It frigging wiped the ground smooth as glass!" "You think I know?" Lightweaver swore, as she slowly got up. Raven said nothing as she got up, but she turned to face her father, who was quite close to them already. "You really thought you could beat me." Trigon sneered as he walked closer to them. "Foolish girl. You are mine! Everything you are is because of me. Even your powers are mine! How can you defeat me with me own powers?"

But as Trigon spoke those words, he sparked something in Raven's mind. The empath raised her hand, forced away the shadowfire for a minute, and reached out with her own power. The black energy covered Trigon, halting his footsteps and freezing him in place. "What are you doing?" he cried, as he struggled against the blackness. Raven's response was to turn to Lightweaver and say, "We have to try again." "What good will that do?" the Knight asked. "He'll just heal himself." "No, Nelson's plan will work now. We forgot something; Trigon's not in his own body. He's in Brett's body, which can heal almost anything. But my powers are derived from his. As long as he's trapped in them, the beam will go through Brett's body and right to Trigon's spirit." But Lightweaver was still not convinced. Raven threw up her hands and said, "Sara, we said we'd have to trust each other. You need to trust me now!"

For a moment, the fox lingered, then brought up her blade. "Let's do it." She said. Raven quickly joined the sword to it, and they fired again. The beam shot forth, through the black aura and into Trigon's chest. The demon began to glow with a strange power, as he howled in pain. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and when it faded, the heroes saw the result of their endeavors.

Trigon was still in Brett's body. But now he was fighting with Brett for control of it. Literally. The beam had managed to split them, but not completely. From the waist down, nothing had changed, but now there were two upper bodies, fighting for control. Brett and Trigon, now reduced to his demon form, grappled with each other, tearing and clawing. The others watched in amazed horror as it all unfolded. "Well, this was unexpected. "Heatstrike said. "You think?" Sara answered.

But then, Brett managed to reach around and grab Trigon in a headlock. Bringing him down to waist level, he screamed, "Shoot him! Shoot him now!" "But you'll die!" Raven yelled back. "Do you think I care? Shoot him!" Brett screamed, doubling his grip on the monster. Raven stepped back, unsure of what to do. She wanted to destroy her father, but to destroy Brett as well...

But then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Lightweaver's armored face. "Give them back." The fox said. "What?" "Give Brett his powers back." "Are you insane? If I do that,Trigon will get them too!" "No he won't. They're not his. Raven, I trusted you, and we're halfway there. You have to trust me to finish it." Raven was silent for a moment, then nodded. Again, instinct guided her, as she raised her hand towards the struggling pair. The shadowfire burst out in a stream, and shot into Brett's chest. The bat was so shocked, he let go of Trigon, as the power soaked into him. The demon, seeing what was happening, reached up, trying to take the power for himself.

But a she reached into the flames, they burned him. _Now I get it. _Raven thought, as the armor began to leave her as well. Brett turned to Trigon, and echoing Raven's thought's, said, "The power belongs to me, Trigon. It belongs to the necessary evil. It does not belong to you!" With that, he slammed his hands onto the demon's face and poured the black flame onto him. The demon screamed, as his body began to burn away, but he could not escape. Within minutes, all of Brett's powers were returned to him, and the flames of the shadowfire had destroyed all traces of the demon within him. Brett stood there, clad only in his torn jeans and looked over at Sara, Nelson and Raven, now returned to their normal states. They smiled at him, and he smiled back. Then his eyes rolled up in their sockets, and the bat began to fall. Hewould've hit the ground, but the girls' were at his side at light speed,grabbing before he hit.

"Master!" Slade cried out, as he looked with horror into the flames. Turning back to the heroes, he said, "The day is yours. But the war is not over." He disappeared in a blast of fire. "What just happened?" Beast Boy asked. "I think we won." Bartman answered, as the flame wall vanished, and they saw Nelson, Sara, and Raven emerge, carrying an unconscious Brett between them.


	12. Epilogue

Chap. 12

Future Holdings

_The following Thursday.._

The café was dank and dark, all it's lights dimmed to prepare for the poets that were to read tonight. After some time, they began to approach the stage and perform their pieces. Most were god-awful, dragging on from pieces about cows and communism, to an air-guitar tribute to Jimi Hendrix. One poet even sat upside down and read the dictionary backwards. Each one seemed to go on for about twenty minutes, and some went even longer. But all of them were artists, at least in their own mind, and they were playing to a crowd of their peers. They were applauded and loved for their creativity and uniqueness. After all, that was what everyone in the café had been known for. For them, the poetry mattered less then the way it was performed.

Of course, in such a group, perhaps the most unique perspective comes from those who exist outside what is established. Two such beings were within the crowd tonight. They sat together, at the far side of the room, drinking simple coffee and watching the stage with twin looks of impatience. The man was dressed in beige khakis and a long brown overcoat covering a U2 shirt. He wore a cap on his head that covered his black hair. Every so often, he would wince and rub his side, as though it pained him. The woman next to him was dressed in blue jeans, a short leather jacket, and a Distillers T-shirt. She wore no cap, allowing her red hair to flow freely from her head. Both figures wore black sunglasses and watched the stage with dire concentration, waiting for someone to come on.

Finally, their patience was rewarded. The owner brought on the next poet, a young girl with purple hair, dressed in a blue cloak and black leotard. Quietly, she took the stage and pulled up a stool. Reaching a pocket within her cloak, she pulled out a piece of paper that glistened in the lights of the stage, mainly because it was completely covered in tape. Clearing her throat, the girl began to read…

** October**

_**Inspired by the Wasteland, T.S. Eliot**_

_My life is the cruelest month, death_

_Breeds onto the living soul, stopping_

_Never, building up fear's cold breath_

_Mixing hope and desire, a _

_Little life, forgetful in the snow,_

_Forgetting the knowledge of birth, _

_That the others all know _

_A summer, from the blackest sky,_

_Going in moonlight to the _

_Rays of the sun,_

_I was a child, _

_Fear in my heart to try,_

_He said, _

_Hold to me,_

_And let not your soul be dead_

_Yet still do the roots clutch_

_Branches grasp at_

_Broken pieces of my crutch_

_My shadow rides at morn to bite,_

_But I no longer run;_

_I will show you sun in a handful of night._

The girl stopped then, her poem done. For a moment, there was silence in the café. Then, slowly, the sound of applause built throughout the room. It grew louder and louder, as those who had been obsessed with performance were finally touched by emotion. Yet as the girl looked over the crowd, she saw none clap harder or with more emotion then the man and woman who had helped inspire the poem.

Later, the trio returned to the Tower, and in Brett's room, talked of the night. "Man, I can't believe you actually listen to some of those people." Brett said, as he leaned back in a chair, massaging his side. The bat was healing fast from the effects of having Trigon in his body, but he was still sore. "They're not all bad." Raven countered. "Come on, that kid with the air guitar actually spent five minutes tuning the thing." Sara replied. "But you….. goddamn, how did you ever write……" "I-I kinda had help." Raven said, blushing a little bit. "You were good inspiration." Brett blushed then, though it was hard to see underneath his fur. "I just do what I can." He replied. "Which apparently means letting a demon inside you so it can be destroyed." Sara said. "She's right about you, hon." "Well, I had that part figured out already." "I've been meaning to ask." Raven interrupted. "Where did you read that?" "Oh, I found it in that old tome over there." The bat said. "I marked the passage, if you want to see it yourself." "I think I will." Sara said, walking over to the counter where the book lay. Picking it up, she flipped to the page Brett had marked.

But as Sara read over the passage, her eyes widened in horror. "Brett, you're sure it was this book?" she asked, a quiver of fear in her voice. "Yes. Why, what's wrong?" the bat asked. Sara read aloud the text, "The demon Trigon may onlybe forever trapped when his mortal body is wiped from the earth." "I don't get…" Raven began, but then recognition dawned on both her and Brett. "HIS body." They said in unison. "We needed to destroy HIS body to destroy him. He's still in Hell" Brett said, his hand going to his forehead. "But that means he actually has to come here, to Earth…" "And he still can." Raven said, her head hanging low. "It looks like you were right Sara. I will never be rid of him."

At that, Sara slammed the book shut. Slowly, she walked over to Raven and pulled the girl's head up. "We'll find a way." She said. "I was wrong about you Raven. I never should've said that to you. I'm sorry." Brett got up and stood by his wife, as Sara continued. "I promise, I'll find a way to help you." "_We _will." Brett said. Raven looked at the two of them, and then in a very uncharacteristic move, she embraced both of them. The Knights were surprised, but after a moment, they returned it, and enjoyed this moment of feeling as though they still had a family. Then again, not every family is made of blood. Some are made of deeper things.

**THE END**


End file.
